12 Days at Bleakly Manor

This story is packed to the gills with an excellent atmosphere of old-country-house and Golden Age mystery. The story has plenty of action; guests are invited to Bleakly Manor to stay the twelve days of Christmas in exchange for a prize. Clara, impoverished by an embezzlement, need the promised 500 pounds. Ben, imprisoned unjustly for the embezzlement, is offered freedom. These two are the POV characters among the guests in the mysterious country house that seems to have no master.

There's even a slight Gothic feel as the mysterious things start happening—fire in the night, damaged ice skates that cause someone to break a leg, and so on. The mystery is strong and kept me guessing for quite a long while. Pretty soon it's evident that someone is willing to kill for the prize, and Clara and Ben have to work together to figure out the threat.

The main thing I didn't like is a few slips in dialogue (“gone missing,” for example, is SO 1990s). Most dialogue, though, is excellent, and carries you right into the 1850 time period very effectively.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free review copy. Favorable reviews not required.